San Diego CBP Officers Find 761 Pounds of Marijuana in Carrot Shipment

Otay Mesa, Calif. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa Cargo facility yesterday evening discovered 761 pounds of marijuana comingled with a shipment of carrots. 

On Thursday, August 16, at about 7 p.m., CBP officers encountered a 31-year-old male citizen of Mexico, driving a 2004 International Bobtail truck as the man waited in line to enter the U.S. from Mexico, with cargo manifested as produce. The driver and truck were pulled aside for a more in-depth investigation.

A CBP officer searched the conveyance, probed a box and extracted marijuana. CBP officers subsequently extracted a total of 105 cellophane wrapped packages of marijuana commingled with carrots, with a street value of $1.1 million.

CBP officers seized the truck and marijuana. The driver was arrested and transported to the Metropolitan Correctional Center.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control, and protection of our Nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.